Brook



(No Model.)

' A. O. ESTABROOK.

BRUSH.

Patented Sept. 28,1897.

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UNITED STATES ALANSON O. ESTABROOK, OF NORTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR H PATENT Orr cn.

TO THE FLORENCE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BRUSH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 590,720, datedSeptember 28, 1897;

Application filed April 3, 1896. Serial No. 586,045. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALANSON O. ESTA- BROOK, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Northampton, in the connty'of Hampshire and State ofMassachusetts, have in? vented certain new and useful Improvements inBrushes, of which the following is a specification, reference being badtherein to the accompanying drawing.

In the case of brushes having the bristles in the form of single-lengthtufts and set and secured in a mass of plastic cement more or lesstrouble has been experienced on account of the difficulty of securingthe bristles in To guard against the coming out of the bristles, variousexpedients have been resorted to. For instance, the inner ends of thebristles have been burned, thereby making enlargements on the said ends.The inner ends of the bristles also have been embedded in melted resinor shellac but these substances are very brittle and the least bendingor jar cracks them and leaves the bristles loose. In some cases the 2 5inner ends of the bristles after having been inserted in tufts throughholes or perforations in a face-shell have been ironed over with a hotiron and covered with composition to hold them down and in place.

The object of my present invention is to provide a convenient andefficient means of readily securing the bristles in place, so as toprevent them from becoming loosened.

I will describe the invention first with ref- 5 erence to theaccompanying drawing, after which the characteristic features thereofwill be particularly pointed out and distinctly defined in the claim atthe close of this specification. 4o The drawing shows in verticalsection certain of the metallic plates which are employed in the processof the manufacture of a brush, with enough of a brush applied to suchplates to disclose the nature of my invention. The drawing shows thetufts of bristles inserted through holes in a face-shell, which lattermay be composed of metal or of plastic material. I do not regard thisface-shell as essential in all embodiments of my invention. 1 in thedrawing represents the face-shell.

The said shell is supposed to be of metal, but this is not essential.

2 is a plate having in the upper surface thereof a cavity into which theshell fits, or which gives shape to the bristle-block when the latter iscomposed entirely of composition. The shell 1 is perforated for thereception of the tufts of bristles which are to be applied thereto, andperforations are formed in the plate 2, corresponding in position andarrangement with those of the shell.

4 is a second plate underlying the'plate 2 and having correspondingholes therein. This plate has a convex projecting portion .5 on itsunder side which fits within a corresponding depression or concavity 6in the upper surface of the plate 7. In practice, after the shell 1 hasbeen placed in the cavity of the plate 2 the bristles 8 are introducedinto the perforations of the said shell and of the two plates 2 and 4;Then the shell is not employed, the bristles are insertedin the samemannerinto the holes of plates 2 and 4. The

upper ends of the bristles then are or may be burned or charred, so asto form the enlargements thereon in well-known manner. I-leretofore ithas been customary immediately after burning the said ends of thebristles to apply the plastic cement 10, in which the inner ends of thebristles are embedded and which constitutes the bristle-block. Inaccordance with the present invention, before I apply the cement 10 asaforesaid, I apply to the inner ends of the tufts of bristles anagglutinatiug substance, preferably of elastic nature, whichagglutinates together the inner ends of all the bristles composing atuft. Thereby the inner ends of the bristles are united and boundtogether, so that after the application of the cement 10 the indi- 9ovidual bristles composing the respective tufts are secured firmly inplace and are prevented from loosening and falling out of the brush.

In selecting the agglutinating material which is to be applied to theinner ends of 5 the tufts I take one which will harden quickly and yetretain sufficient softness and elasticity to prevent cracking andhardening so as to lose its adhesive quality. PreferablyI use thematerial known as roofing-tar. This is very adhesive and never becomesso hard and brittle as to lose its adhesive quality. In the drawing Ihave indicated this material 011 the tufts at 9. IVhen the cement 10 isplaced in the shell so as to fill the same and surround and cover theends of the tufts of bristles, the heat thereof melts or softens the tarwhich previously has been applied to the said inner ends of the tufts.When thus meltedor softened, the-tar is quite liquid. At this time, andalso when first poured onto the bristles, it is likely to run throughthe holes in the shell 1 and to become exposed at the roots of thebristles-that is to say, where they first become visible on theexterior. This injures the appearance and salability of the brush. Toobviate this disadvantage, before applying the tar to the inner ends ofthe tufts I first sprinkle a quantity of fine white powder, as indicatedat 11, into the shell 1, or into the cavity of plate 2 when such shellis omitted, and onto the tufts of bristles and work it down among thetufts and onto the inner surface of the shell or surface of plate 2, asthe case may be, by means of a brush. venient manner, as by means of asmall ladle having drilled through the bowl thereof holes of proper sizeto permit a small quantity of the melted tar to pass through. This ladleis rubbed over the ends of the bristles until all of the saidends havehad applied thereto a sufiicient quantity of the tar. This is allowed tocool before the cement is applied. The heat of the cement melts andsoftens the tar and the excess of the latter blends with or is absorbedby the cement, thereby insuring the tight holding of the bristles, theindividual bristles composing the tufts being united to one another bymeans of the tar, while the cement closes in around the tufts and alsounites with the tar. A material as soft as the tar must be in order toenable it to be applied properly will not keep its shape nor hold thebristles in proper position, but

The tar is then applied in conwould become softened and would yield to apressure on the outside or on the outer ends of the bristles, whichwould allow the tufts to become distorted and expand out of propershape, even although the bristles might not admit of being pulled outeasily. Hence the cement and the tar must. be used conjointly, as hereindescribed.

At 12 is the plate which is placed on the plate 2 to facilitate theapplication of the cement 10. This plate has a hole therethrough toreceive the said cement and fits around the outer edge of the cavity inplate 2 and the upper edge of the shell 1. In the process ofmanufacturing the brush the said cement is placed in the said hole andthen is compressed in usual manner down into the cavity of the shell 1or against the face of the cavity in plate 2, as the case may be.

It is indispensable for economical reasons that for the purposeofagglutinatingtogether the inner ends of the bristles comprising eachtuft there should be used a material which, like roofing-tar, is capableof being rendered fluid or plastic readily, and which quickly hardens toa degree that permits succeeding operations in the process ofbrushmaking to be performed without delay incident to waiting for theagglutinating medium to set or harden.

I claim as my invention- A brush comprising a bristleblock of plasticcementing material having the inner ends of tufts of bristles embeddedtherein and surrounded thereby, and agglutinating material capable ofbeing made fluent by heat uniting theindividual bristles of the tuftsand blended with the cementing material, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALANSON C. ESTABROOK.

IVitnesses:

FRANK N. Look, GEORGE H. RAY.

